Questions & Answers

Breathing, breathing, and breathing.Breath is the biggest secret that nature has put in you. It is linked to your emotions. Through breathing exercise technique, you can control your emotions. I think many of you have experienced this, isn’t it? (Many raise their hands)Those who have not experienced this, you must do a little bit of breathing exercises regularly, then you will have more say over your mind.

When was the last time you got angry at someone?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I don’t even remember! Suppose you are angry at somebody, don’t start regretting it. Regret makes you become angry once again.For me, I can count on my fingers the number of times I have gotten angry. It is not in my nature.I have not done anything special not to get angry. Somehow I have been made this way. I can’t take any credit for it. I have never said a single bad word to anybody all these years. It never has happened. I have never blamed, cursed or said any bad word to anybody.

How can we stop thinking the same recurring thought?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There is no way, because you recognize the thoughts only after they have already come. Isn’t it? They come and then you recognize it.So when you recognize it, get busy. If you simply sit, you will keep thinking a lot. If you keep acting, you will feel that you are more with the flow.

Aggression is considered as a sign of power these days, how to change this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If aggression is the power that brings positive change, the world would have changed a lot through all the aggression that has happened and is now happening in many parts of the world. But that is not what we see.Where there is aggression, there is distress. There are more issues, more problems, and more poverty. With aggression, we move backward. Wherever there is aggression, you see that the people have gone backward; at least fifteen to twenty years backward, if not more. Co-operation is key.The world has seen many aggressions which have not given great result.Sometimes, people think war is very good because war can change laws. They think that war can destroy what was there and bring a change of law. But you know, for that to happen, several generations suffers.In this age of information and technology, I think people are intelligent. We don’t need to go through that suffering. I think we are much more intelligent, and much more informed, so we don’t need war. All that we need is awareness.

How should one balance life between social service, business and responsibilities at home?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Do you all drive cars here in Bahrain? Yes! When you drive a car what do you do? You look at the side mirrors, rear view mirror and you look in the windshield as well. How do you balance all three?You can’t say, 'I will only look at the rear mirror', or, 'I only look in the front', or, 'I only look at the sides'. You have to simultaneously do all the three and you do that?Exactly same way!

Rear view mirror is like knowing the past. You should have little memory of the past. If you have done some mistake, it should not be repeated. Front mirror is like the vision of life ahead. That is why, the front windshield is very big and the rear view mirror is very small. Then there are side mirrors, these are for you to be aware of what is happening around you all the time.So how you use all three? Exactly same way!

How do I always be happy and not get entangled by the boundaries set by body mind and thought?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If you drop this always, you will be happy. Never mind if you are unhappy for a little while, so what? If you think I should never be unhappy, then that becomes a cause of unhappiness.